March 5, 2024

Living the dream with writer, musician, businessman, and cancer survivor Ray Hartjen

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Dive into the inspiring journey of Ray Hartjen, a man who wears many hats: writer, musician, storyteller, businessman, and now, cancer patient advocate. In this heart warming episode of 'Living the Dream with Curveball,' Ray shares the wisdom he's gleaned from a career spanning five decades and his transformative experience living with multiple myeloma. From discussing his latest book to the power of music and his love for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ray's stories are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Tune in to discover how Ray punches every day in the face with courage and unwavering positivity.
www.rayhartjen.com

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> Speaker A>Welcome, um, to the living the dream podcast with curveball. Um, if you believe you can achieve, cheat, cheat.

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> Speaker A>Welcome to the living the dream with curveball podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate, and inspire. Today I am joined by writer, musician, storyteller, and businessman, Ray Horgen.

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> Speaker A>Ray has a professional career that spans over five decades, and he's made a lot of changes and a lot of pivots. He also does a lot of online stuff and has been quoted by the media. He talks about things on his site, spanning from sports to business, all kind of stuff. Ray is an amazing man, so it's going to be amazing to bring to you all of his amazing stories. And we'll even throw some sports questions in there, because I know seems like he likes the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, Ray, thank you so much for joining me today.

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> Speaker B>Hey, curveball, thanks so much for having that, uh, introduction. He's talking about my career, spanning over five decades. Just reminds me, uh, I'm getting up there in age, right? M my wife calls it leveling up, uh, like in a video game. So maybe I'll think of it that way.

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> Speaker A>Absolutely. Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself?

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> Speaker B>Yeah. Uh, I'm, uh, a writer and a musician. And, ah, as Curtis, uh, said, uh, uh, throughout my career, I've had a lot of different, um, types, uh, of positions in different types of industries, but it really comes down to storytelling, and I'm a storyteller at heart. And, uh, whether it's through music or through, uh, articles and now books.

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> Speaker B>So I've written a couple of books, and I'm excited to talk to you today, uh, Curtis, about my latest book. It's called me, myself, and my multiple myeloma. Uh, it's a cancer patient memoir. Uh, almost five years ago, I was diagnosed with the blood cancer multiple myeloma.

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> Speaker B>And, uh, uh, like any, I think, person who's diagnosed, um, with a serious and chronic condition, in this case, multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer.

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> Speaker B>Uh, it has, uh, an impact on your life.

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> Speaker B>And a lot of times, I think maybe even before I was diagnosed, I always kind of thought of these as negative impacts. But I wanted, uh, to talk to you today, Curtis, your listeners, uh, and also through the book, I wanted to talk to patients and patient caregivers and patient allies about the things that, uh, cancer has added to my life. Uh, uh, uh, I still have all those same roles I had before I was diagnosed with cancer, but now I have new roles, like cancer patient advocate, uh, caregiver advocate, um, um, and fundraiser and the like. Uh, I wish I kind of learned these life lessons without the diagnosis of multiple myeloma. Um, in a way, taking this diagnosis and couple it with a growth mindset has really set me toward a path where I feel much better.

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> Speaker B>Uh, I have this sense of inner peace, uh, and well being about focusing and doing the things that mean most to me, as opposed to wasting time on the minutiae that sometimes we have a tendency as people to get caught up in. Does that make sense?

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> Speaker A>That makes great sense. And you definitely have a lot of courage, and you're definitely doing a lot, despite your diagnosis, for the cancer, uh, community, I guess, the cancer patient community, if you want to go more into that.

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> Speaker B>Yeah. Um, soon after my diagnosis, I revisited an exercise that I had facilitated a number of times throughout my career. It's a timeline exercise, and it's really pretty simple. And even if you've done one before, uh, all you listeners out there, whether you get an actual piece of paper and a pen or pencil or just do this in your mind, just start from your left and draw a horizontal straight line to your right. And at the far left hand side, where you started, make a little vertical tick mark. And at the far right hand side, where you stopped, make a vertical tick mark.

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> Speaker B>What you've just created there is your timeline.

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> Speaker B>The left represents your birth, the right represents your death. And then the difficult part, Thomas, is when you take a look at that timeline and you think, okay, where are you now? Where are you today? Now, we know tomorrow is not promised, right? But where do you think you are today on this timeline? That's your third little vertical tick mark. Everything to the left of you is your past, and you can't change it, but it's part of what makes you you. And, uh, everything to the right is what you have left, uh, on the planet, right?

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> Speaker B>So when I got diagnosed, I redid that curveball, man. Before my diagnosis, I was going to live forever, right? Uh, I always have my tick mark, like, right there in the middle or whatever. Uh, but this diagnosis kind of shook me awake.

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> Speaker B>It kind of reached out for the paper and said, dude, man, wake up. You have a tendency, ray, to take things for granted.

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> Speaker B>Uh, and prior to my diagnosis and even today, at times, I take time in particular for granted. Before my diagnosis, I certainly took all tomorrows and next weeks and next months, uh, next year, sometimes, in some instances, the next decade or two, I just took them for granted that they would be there, and I wanted to snap that out of me, saying, geez, if you want to get things accomplished, let's use up today. What are you going to do? And then, as I thought more about it, Curtis, I thought about it. It's just not the time that I took for granted. It's the people in my life and my relationships that meant so much to me.

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> Speaker B>My phone is filled with these contacts of these people that are contacts for a reason. Right? I care for them. I love them. But, uh, I would have a tendency to think like, oh, man, I need to chat up my friend curveball.

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> Speaker B>But I'll do it tomorrow. Kurtz will be there tomorrow or next week. I'm busy or whatever, and kind of taking those things for granted and recognizing the fact that today is a gift and it's a gift that not everybody got to receive. There are a lot of people that never got today, and, uh, I'm blessed to have today. So I want to be able to utilize today to its utmost. And as a musician, I'm always looking for these kind of cool little saints to put on the back of a t shirt because it allows us to sell t shirts at gigs, and that makes us more money, and that puts more food on my table. Right, Curtis? Uh, you know what it's like being a musician. Uh, and so, um. Um, I kind of developed this idea or this motto, if not today, win. If not now, win. And that kind of got me off of taking time for granted, uh, and people and relationships, and that motto is on the back of a t shirt. Uh, and it's something I try to live my life with, but it's also morphed into another motto, and that motto is punched today in the face. The idea that today is that gift, uh, and it's that gift that not everyone got an opportunity to receive. So I want to use it up. I want to use up every last drop of today in the old cowboy sense. And the horseback riding, it's ride today hard and put it up. Know I want today. I want to grab today's attention. I want today to know, uh, that Ray hartchin was here. I want to use it up.

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> Speaker B>And then at the end of the day, when I'm laying in bed with a sense of satisfaction that I've accomplished the things that mean the most to me and, uh, did it with the people that mean the most to me, I can kind of give tomorrow a glance and maybe give it a wink and point a finger at it and say, tomorrow, I'm coming for you next.

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> Speaker A>Yeah, I like that saying. Put punch today in the face. And you talked about being a musician. So go ahead and tell listeners about your band and what kind of music you do and how you got started and everything you guys are up to.

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> Speaker B>Yeah, I got started. Uh.

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> Speaker B>Uh, music, uh, it always strikes me as od, as people say. I don't like music and I really don't believe them because, uh, I think we're born with music. I mean, we have this rhythm section, uh, that's in our chest, our heart and our lungs, they're beating, and there's this rhythm that just goes with life. And, um, music has always spoken to me. And as a kid, I liked Elvis Presley. I wanted to be Elvis, but I thought, man, maybe I can't be Elvis, but maybe I could be his guitar player, James Burton. Right? You know, so I picked up guitar, and much like a lot of guys, you pick up the gut guitar to try to impress the, uh. So, uh, you know, the early influence was like Elvis and, uh, kind of like that early rock. And, um, know, my musical life changed the first time I heard a Van Halen record.

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> Speaker B>Uh, like a lot of folks, uh, Eddie Van Halen became my guitar hero. And, uh, I was the hair metal warrior through the.

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> Speaker B>But I'm almost 60 years old now.

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> Speaker B>Curveball. Those days of, uh, dragging out all the equipment, the amplifiers and all that, setting up for a

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00 start time, uh, getting done at two, getting home at three or later, um, that has less and less appeal as I get older and older and older. So about ten years ago, um, I coupled up with, uh, a friend of mine. We used to jam a lot, but we never performed together. So, uh, we created a two piece acoustic band called the Chronic Padres.

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And, uh, being blessed to hear in northern California with a treasure trove of wineries and breweries and the like, we bill ourselves as northern California's happy hour house band.

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Uh, we kind of specialize in the happy hours in the beer garden, the wine tasting room or what have you, uh, stripping down our favorite songs, uh, playing them acoustically, kind of giving a nod to those great MTV unplugged episodes of the early 90s, where it seemed like everybody's favorite episode was when a rock and roll band came and stripped it down to its bare acoustics. And so we play some of our favorite rock and roll songs, our favorite, uh, country songs, because once again, the ladies like it and we got to give a nod to picking up instruments in the first place. Uh, so we'll do some country, and then we have our original music that we do.

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But, um, uh, from time to time, we find that, uh, when we play other people's music, um, and music that people are more familiar with, they tend to like that a little bit better while they're sipping their beers. You know what I mean?

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> Speaker A>Yes, I know exactly what you mean. Music definitely sounds good while you're sipping your beer.

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> Speaker B>Yeah, I like to play the songs that people are familiar with. Uh, and, uh, particularly it's so cool to play songs that people sing along to. And one of the things I like to do, we do a typical gig, it might be 3 hours long, a little over 40 songs, which is a lot for Scott, my singer, to sing.

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> Speaker B>So I'll pitch in on vocals, uh, for a dozen songs or so. And one of the things I like to do is to take songs, uh, popularized by female, uh, vocalists and do them my own way. Because what's a 59 year old man, uh, supposed, uh, to sound like singing Dolly Parton's jolene?

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> Speaker B>It probably sounds exactly the way I do it.

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> Speaker B>Uh, if a woman tries to tackle jolene, you've got that apples to apples comparison.

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> Speaker B>And how can someone stack up to dolly Parton or lady gaga, or Miranda lambert, or somebody like, uh, uh, you know, I like to tackle some of the songs, uh, made popular by female vocalists and give it my own slant and see how it works. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but at least we have fun trying.

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> Speaker A>Most definitely. Let's jump on some sports real quick. Let's talk about the, uh, pittsburgh Steelers, who were the best players in the 1970s? And what were your most memorable moments in watching the pittsburgh Steelers in the.

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> Speaker B>That's an interesting question. Uh, Kurtball. Uh, uh, um, uh, the first book that, uh, I wrote was called immaculate how the Steelers saved pittsburgh. And it wasn't my idea, it was my co writer's idea, tom o'Lineick. Uh, and Tom is a yinzer. He is from pittsburgh and he loves his city. Um, and for years and years and years he had, um, developed this thesis that pittsburgh had to face a very difficult deindustrialization transformation in the mid 70s through the mid eighty s. And, um, it was a painful process for the city, but pittsburgh came out of the other end of that painful process kind of smelling like a rose, particularly comparison to its rust belt cousins like cleveland and detroit. And, um, know pittsburgh. Uh, right now it shows up all the time on the world's most livable cities list. Uh, they're world renowned for academics, uh, medical, uh, research, healthcare technology, uh, robotics, uh, and the like.

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> Speaker B>And Tom always had this philosophy, or not always, but maybe for 2025 years, when the city was struggling in search of its heroes, they found them in a pretty unlikely place. That unlikely place was, up to 1972, a pretty horrible football team. Uh, for the first 40 years of existence, they couldn't get anything right. And then all of a sudden, they got everything right. Won, uh, four Super Bowls over six years. And kind of a team that was built in the mirror image of the city.

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> Speaker B>Blue collar, hard nose, gritty, bring your lunch pail to work type of football team.

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> Speaker B>Uh, and Tom would keep talking about this book, uh, to his friends and family, but he's not a writer, he's a biotech executive.

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> Speaker B>And this ties me back to, if not now, win one time. He's talking to me about it, and, uh, I just grabbed him by the shoulders and I said, hey, Tom, if not now, when? Uh, let's get started on this book, and we should ever veer off of your vision, well, then we'll rein it back in and try to straighten out and do something a little bit more to your vision. But once we started, we never stopped. And we published the book, and we're very proud of it. I'm very proud of it. It's selling well, and the story seems to resonate with folks. Uh, you asked about my favorite Steelers players. I can tell you I was born in Texas, uh, in Houston, and as a good texan, in the Dallas Cowboys fan. And, uh, the Pittsburgh Steelers, um, were famously beat the cowboys in two Super Bowls. My second favorite team was the Houston Oilers, being a good texan. And the Houston Oilers never could, uh, break through and win the AFC central division, uh, from the Steelers. And in fact, they lost two playoff games to them. And then my third favorite team was my mama's favorite team. My mama, just like everybody else's mom, like Kenny Stabler of the Oakland Raiders. So the Raiders were my third favorite team. And, uh, they lost three very, uh, famous playoff games to the Steelers, uh, in the growing up, uh, in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Like gum on my shoes, uh, uh, I hated them. Uh, but it was funny.

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> Speaker B>In writing the book, I watched a lot of games on YouTube and just growing to respect not just the players, uh, but the coaches that put them in the position to perform the best that they can. And when you go through those 70s Pittsburgh Steelers teams, they're loaded with hall of famers, deservingly so. People tend to kind of focus on maybe some offensive players, like Lyn Swan, John Stalwart, Frank O'Harris. Terry Bradshaw, uh, Mike Webster.

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> Speaker B>But, uh, their defense led by mean Joe Green.

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> Speaker B>Where I'm watching these old games, I'm looking at mean Joe Green. Just dominate every single play he's on the field. Uh, and, uh, if you're creating a list of the top ten football players in the history of the NFL and Joe Green is not on your list in that top ten, you probably need to go revisit your list because, uh, he was amazing. He was Aaron Donald before Aaron Donald. Uh, uh, and, uh, just a fabulous football player, but other great players. Mel Blunt, uh, linebacking court, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Andy Russell, uh, uh, LC Greenwood, Ernie Shavers, uh, uh, Ernie Holmes, excuse me. Uh, just so many great players and memorable characters. Uh, I really enjoyed, uh, writing the book, and I hope people enjoy reading it.

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> Speaker A>What do you feel like the biggest difference is between the NFL today and back in the.

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> Speaker B>That's a great question. Um, uh, you go back to the statistics and you see, like, a quarterback is having a pretty good year. If they complete 50% of their passes.

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> Speaker B>And you forward today in the NFL, if you're not completing like at least 62, 63, 64% of your passes, you're not going to see the football field. Uh, the game has turned into this passing type of league, and a lot of it came about with the rule change that was back in the day. It was called the Mel blunt rule. And that was the rule, uh, that forbade, uh, defenders to contact wide, uh, receivers more than five yards down the line of scrimmage.

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> Speaker B>So now you have a quarterback that is, uh, there's another rule, too, that also impacts the passing game. That was offensive linemen can now use their hands, uh, to pass protect. It used to be kind of like put your hands to your sternum, your chest, and kind of block with your arms out. So now, uh, quarterbacks in today's NFL, let's go for a third rule change. You can't even really hit a quarterback in today's NFL. You can't even fall on top of them. It's tackle football. Back in, the quarterback was just another player. You want to hit him in the head, you want to hit him in the knees. You wanted to fall on top of them, whatever they were, fair game. You know, you package those three rule changes up now, and a quarterback can throw a receiver open if they're under distress, in the pocket. They know where their receiver is going to be. Because of the mel blunt rule, uh, they're free to run their patterns so they can throw it to a spot on the field, knowing that their receiver is going to be there to be able to fight for the football. Back in the 70s, quarterback had to make eye contact with the receiver, had to see that receiver and had to, uh, uh, throw it there. Uh, as the passing game, um, has blossomed in today's NFL, the running game has gone away. And you go back to those old football games and watch them on YouTube, which are great if you're from the generation that I am going back to YouTube and checking out these games, you get to hear Howard Cosell in the booth or Dandy Don Meredith and Kurt Gowdy in the booth. And it just brings back these great memories of childhood. Uh, it doesn't change some of the plays. Like Dallas, uh, tight end, uh, Jackie Smith dropping a sure touchdown pass in the Super bowl. Uh, uh, the Cowboys ended up losing to the Steelers. Um, but, uh, going back and watching those games, you see that in the run, the football, possess the football, uh, try not to make foolish penalties so you can win the field position battle.

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> Speaker B>And then over the course of four quarters, you should come out on top.

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> Speaker B>It was maybe a decade ago, Mike Tomlin, the coach of the Steelers, was talking about a new rookie running back that they had in. And, you know, the press was asking, um, how's, how's the new running back doing? And Mike Tomlin, I'm paraphrasing him, uh, but he basically said, well, number one, he needs to learn how to protect the quarterback. Number two, he needs to learn how to protect the football, and then we can worry about him running. And I think that's as just a microcosm of the difference between the professional football. Now, in today's NFL, a running back doesn't even see the football field until, um, they can protect the quarterback and, uh, protect the football. Running is the third most important thing for a running back's job description in today's NFL. So I think, uh, it speaks a lot about the difference in the game, uh, today from the game 50 years ago.

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> Speaker A>Okay, so what advice would you give somebody who has been recently diagnosed with some kind of health condition?

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> Speaker B>Yeah. Ah, I'm glad we're back on this topic. Um, I have found the power of people in, uh, dealing with, uh, my diagnosis.

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> Speaker B>Uh, I am lucky in that I've been married to my wife, Lori, for 30 years come may, and, uh, she's been by my side.

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> Speaker B>To share, uh, in this battle.

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> Speaker B>Facing a serious health condition is a daunting prospect. Um, uh, we get an unbelievable amount of snail mail, mail, physical mail, in our mailbox every day because of, uh, uh, our american health system, we have care providers, we have pharmaceutical companies, and we have payers, and those are the insurance companies. And the correspondence we get can be overwhelming. And then there's medical testing, uh, there's doctors appointments, there's taking medication and the like. And then there's the mental and emotional burdens of being diagnosed with a life changing, uh, disease or condition. So when new patients reach out to me, and they frequently do, um, through the social platforms, first of all, I want to be their form because they are beginning the process of reaching out. And I encourage them to reach out to other resources they have.

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> Speaker B>Before my cancer diagnosis, I had never participated in any type of group, uh, before. But, uh, now, uh, one of the most valued things I think I do for me, uh, and also for others, is to actively participate in a cancer patient support group. Um, everything I know about cancer has been taught to me by other patients. The people have gone before me. And, uh, part of my, I think, accountabilities and roles now is there's been times when I needed to reach forward, and hopefully there'd be somebody there to reach back and grab my hand and pull me forward. Uh, I feel good right now. I think there's things I can share and add value. So when I'm feeling good, how can I reach back and grab those people behind and pull them forward with me? Uh, definitely, if you're facing something new, uh, a new diagnosis of something, reach out and reach out to your friends, your family, your trusted people, or just people you think you can count on and give a group a try.

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> Speaker B>What I like to do also, Kurtball is kind of switch this around and talk to your audience members out there who have not been diagnosed, uh, with a serious health condition, but they probably know somebody who has. And if you are out there and you do know somebody who is going through a serious health issue, do yourself and do them a favor and reach out to them. Uh, now, uh, a lot of times I think people are hesitant to do it. I know I certainly was in the past because I didn't know what to say. What am I supposed to say? I let that stop me, and I don't want you, dear listener, out there to let that stop you. Actually, I want you to start right there.

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> Speaker B>Just start and say, man, curveball. I don't know what to say, but I love you and I care for you, and I want to have this conversation with you to see how can I best support you, uh, through this. Start there and see what happens. Uh, uh, whether you're a newly diagnosed patient, reach out for help.

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> Speaker B>It takes a village. We all get something, uh, in life, and, uh, we're all in this together. Uh, so reach out and get the help that you need, um, and just explore. Maybe you don't think you need help. It helps to talk and to rekindle those relationships you have with your tribe, your team, your people.

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> Speaker B>Right. Uh, if you are on the opposite side of the coin, you haven't been diagnosed with anything. But, you know, people out there, uh, like I said, do yourself, do them a favor. Reach out, uh, uh, and continue to be parts of their lives.

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> Speaker A>Tell us about any current or upcoming projects that you're working on that people need to know about.

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> Speaker B>Uh, yeah, um, I'm working on music, uh, uh, as you know, um, it's both difficult and easy to produce music and release music. And, uh, right now I am, uh, going through a bunch of demos, uh, both for the band and for me, uh, as a solo, uh, uh, performer. And, uh, I'm looking to try to get them produced, working with a couple of producers. Funding is always an issue, uh, with that. Um, yet I've been encouraged.

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> Speaker B>Uh, I was on a podcast earlier this month, and they were encouraging me just to post up demos on, uh, Spotify. And you know what? I think they might be right.

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> Speaker B>Uh, it's not that expensive per song. So, look, uh, for me to be throwing up some demos, um, of some, ah, songs, both for the chronic padres and, uh, for me, Ray harshin, just as a solo performer, uh, coming soon, and then as, uh, funding comes about, um, um, um, getting them professionally produced. Uh, a big part of, uh, what I'm doing right now is promoting the book. Me, myself, and my multiple myeloma. Uh, it's available at booksellers everywhere. It's a passion project for me. As I said, cancer for me. It took a little while, but I was able to reframe my diagnosis and add things to my life. And I very much, uh, wanted to share my story because of my background. When I got diagnosed, I had the good fortune of participating in some interviews and some videos and some news stories about my diagnosis.

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> Speaker B>Uh, and, uh, because of that, people reached out to me through social platforms, particularly newly diagnosed patients.

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> Speaker B>And working with them has been truly, uh, an honor. It's been a privilege, but it's also been one, uh, to one, I thought, what's a way that I can do a one to many approach? Uh, so that's what, uh, motivated me to write this book. And I wanted this book to be from the community to the community, for the community. I'm thinking about, how can I do this? As for the community, well, hopefully my words prove to be a valued resource to patients, their caregivers, and their allies. But maybe I can raise money, too. Uh, uh, my net writers proceeds are pledged to benefit the multiple myeloma research foundation. Uh, if anyone's interested in, uh, of course, reading the book, uh, you can get the book at any bookseller. Uh, you can get it also at my site, rayhardchin.com. You can also, if you don't want to read the book, but you just don't want to donate, the book has a donation page up at the multiple Biloma Research Foundation's, uh, website. Uh, and, uh, so a big part of this current project is releasing the book. Uh, hopefully it's well received. Uh, so far, the early reviews are very positive, and that makes me feel, uh, good, but know truly want this to be a resource and fundraiser. Uh, and then the third final thing, working on, working on a third book, a childhood passion of mine, uh, as opposed to the Pittsburgh Steelers being a childhood passion of my friend Tom Alinick, childhood, uh, passion of mine was, uh, discovering the Indianapolis 500. I read a book back, uh, 1971. It chronicled the 1970 race, and it just captured this young kid's imagination. The Indy, uh, 500 has been an event that's been, um, I've been passionate about ever since. And so, uh, I'm writing a book about the Indy 500. Uh, and hopefully we'll have that, uh, out in bookstores, um, at the end.

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> Speaker A>Of the year, right? Ladies and gentlemen, be on the lookout for that. Well, you already gave out your contact info, rayhardgen.com, so close us out with some final thoughts. Maybe if that was something I forgot to talk about that you would like to touch on, or just any final thoughts you have for the know.

00:29:10.463 --> 00:29:16.190
> Speaker B>If there's anything, um, that I can do for a know, please feel free to reach out to me.

00:29:16.190 --> 00:29:21.869
> Speaker B>Uh, all of my social, uh, channels are my name, Ray Hartchin. That's also my email address.

00:29:21.940 --> 00:29:36.114
> Speaker B>Rayhartchin@gmail.com. Uh, I learned from a writer in southern California. His name is Bob Goth. He's, uh, written a, um. Ah, goff. He's written, um, several, uh, books, and one of them really impacted me. Love does.

00:29:36.311 --> 00:29:59.900
> Speaker B>And, uh, he puts his phone number and email, uh, in his book. Actually, I think it's just his phone number, but I've used that as a role model. My phone number is in my book. Uh, I truly want to help patients, um, fight, uh, their cancer. Uh, and I want to encourage them to punch today in the face, uh, uh, and make the most out of today.

00:30:00.210 --> 00:30:36.670
> Speaker B>Cancer has given me an opportunity to reevaluate, uh, what I was doing, uh, in my life. And if there's one thing maybe to have listeners think about at the conclusion of this episode, curveballs, is take a look at your life and are you spending it just doing the minutiae? Um, one of the most impactful trainings I ever took in, uh, corporate America, uh, uh, I went through a train to trainer course to become a facilitator for this course. It's from, uh, the time management people at Franklin Covey.

00:30:36.670 --> 00:30:39.493
> Speaker B>Uh, Franklin, of course, famous for the Franklin planner.

00:30:39.541 --> 00:30:53.410
> Speaker B>And the covey comes from Stephen Covey. And the, uh, huge bestseller of seven habits of highly. And, uh, one of the things, uh, that, uh, we used to cover in that course was a video, Stephen Covey given a webinar.

00:30:53.509 --> 00:31:25.970
> Speaker B>And, um, in that webinar, uh, excuse me. It was a seminar before the days of webinars. Uh, he had a woman come up on stage and kind of go through this exercise. And this exercise, there was a crystal vase, a transparent crystal vase. And it was about half filled with kind of pea gravel. And then off to the side were these big rocks. And these rocks were labeled with, uh, important things, like, uh, a project at work, a child's, uh, school play, a vacation, et cetera.

00:31:26.049 --> 00:31:54.559
> Speaker B>And so the task was the vase represented. This is the time that you have available, say, like in a day or a week or what have you. Uh, and the rocks were the things that you wanted to get done. And so try to put those rocks in. It turned out like the woman, his volunteer from the audience, she was having to make difficult choices. She couldn't fit all the big rocks in. She was like, then she had to take her vacation out and put something else in because there's a big deliverable at work or whatever. And that was important.

00:31:55.410 --> 00:32:20.465
> Speaker B>And it was sad. He even goes, oh, man, you took away your vacation. That was important, important family thing. And for you, it's like, yeah. He goes, well, how about this? How about if we change this around a little bit? And Stephen Covey brings out a second, um, uh, transparent. You know, it's not like, hey, you get an extra. No, no. It's like, let's use this instead of the week, and let's try this. Let's take all these big projects and your vacation.

00:32:20.577 --> 00:32:23.574
> Speaker B>The schools, uh, the child school play, et cetera.

00:32:23.622 --> 00:32:25.993
> Speaker B>Let's put all those big rocks in first.

00:32:26.192 --> 00:32:32.153
> Speaker B>Then let's take all that pea gravel, sprinkle in it on top, shake it around, and sure enough, everything fit.

00:32:32.271 --> 00:32:51.539
> Speaker B>Everything fit when you put the big rocks in first, and then you put the little rocks in second, uh, as opposed to when the little rocks are already there and the big rocks, they wouldn't fit in. Um, and the lesson, the analogy is, plan out your day with the big rocks, the goals and the accountabilities that mean most to you.

00:32:51.910 --> 00:33:19.993
> Speaker B>Do those, and all the minutiae is going to fill in. Technology is such a great tool for us to use curveball, but we have a tendency to kind of get caught up in this technology, where it pollutes us into kind of focusing on the minutiae. And sometimes we leave the big stuff out. So if not now, win. Put some deadlines to your dreams. Achieve those goals, uh, work on those accountabilities that are most meaningful to you.

00:33:20.031 --> 00:33:36.061
> Speaker B>Include the people that are most important to your life, and punch today in the face. Kurt Balmin, thank you so much for the opportunity, uh, to chat with you. Uh, I love what you're doing here on the show. Uh, and I'm very grateful, uh, for the opportunity to share my story with you and your audience.

00:33:36.205 --> 00:33:53.506
> Speaker A>Oh, I appreciate it. Thank you for coming on. Ladies and gentlemen, rayhardgen.com follow rate review. Share this episode to as many people as possible. If you have any guests or suggestion topics, Cjackson 102 at Cox. Net is the place to send them. As always, thank you for listening.

00:33:53.538 --> 00:33:55.478
> Speaker A>And Ray, thanks again for joining us.

00:33:55.564 --> 00:33:56.440
> Speaker B>Thank you.

00:33:57.130 --> 00:34:05.125
> Speaker A>For more information on the living the Dream podcast, visit www.djcurveball.com.

00:34:05.307 --> 00:34:10.250
> Speaker A>Until next time, stay focused on living the dream. Dream rain.